Re: Key loggers - do they alarm you?

pmj wrote:
"sam" <sam@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:6c2dnTh5tLhT30PZnZ2dnUVZ8t2dnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Key loggers are operated by criminal hackers
who download secret programmes on to people's computers
to record every keystroke they make .This log is then
secretly sent back to the hacker, who uses it to log on to
peope's bank accounts or credit cards and rob them.

It is a growing threat and one which has got a lot of people
worried, but there is a simply remedy:
call up your on-screen keyboard,then enter numbers
and passwords on that.
All the hacker gets is a series of mouse clicks.

So it's back to the drawing board for him
and safer shopping and banking for the rest of us.

I don't know where you got the above Quote from, but as usual,
(with those sort of things) it's something that *does* have some
truth in it, (& behind it) but it's over-generalising things much
too much & it will lull people into a *false* sense of Security,
if they do what it says.

There are plenty of KeyLogger type things (as Faolan mentioned)
which now do a whole lot more than just Logging KeyStrokes.

They can Log MouseClicks & Intercept the Input into all sorts of
Programs, regardless of where that Input is from.

So they can also Log the Input when it's done using things like
the On Screen Keyboard - Start>Run osk [OK] - & when (as FN Mentioned)
the Input is done by Picking from a DropDown List etc...

The *real* (& only proper) answer to the prob of things like
KeyLoggers etc, is to not let things like that get on your System
in the first place.

& if they *do* happen to get on your System, then you need to make
sure that they don't Run.

You can be sure that if you do have a KeyLogger type thing on your
System, it won't be the only bit of MalWare (most of them Download
other bits, or Install themselves along with other MalWare & if
your System is insecure enough (& used insecurely enough) to get
a KeyLogger on it, then it's also going to have various other bits
of MalWare on it as well.

Also, like Faolan said, many (most?) people run their System Logged
in using a Use Account that has Full Administrative Privileges.

So that means that *anything* (MalWare) can be Installed & Run with
those same User Privileges.

If people were to Log in using an ordinary User Account, (without
full Administrative Privileges), for normal Day to Day use, [*1]
then there would be *far* less risk of any MalWare getting Installed
in the first place.

[*1]
You can Switch to an Account with Full Administrative Privileges
(or use the "RunAs" Command) when you *do* want to Install something.

HTH

If you installed software while logged in as an administrator and
perhaps its not attributed to all users how can you widen that software
availability to ALL users or add a Named other user to its availability?
I have been using this machine always as an administrator and want to
add another user without admin rights as you suggest but of course want
the functionality/availability of that software/program(s)
--
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. But rather,
to skid in sideways, cigar in one hand, favorite beverage in the other,
body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming...WOW!!!! What
a ride!!

Len aka Old Grizzly


.

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